Ruzagayura famine

'search and find little') was a major famine which occurred in the Belgian mandate of Ruanda-Urundi (modern-day Rwanda and Burundi) during World War II.

It led to numerous deaths and a huge population migration out of the territory and into the neighboring Belgian Congo and surrounding areas.

[1] The colonial administration, together with Christian missionaries, began to transport food to a supply point in Usumbura (presently Bujumbura).

[1] By the time the famine ended in December 1944, between 36,000[2] and 50,000[3] people (between one-fifth and one-third of the total regional population) died of hunger in the territory.

The migration also served to create further political instability in the areas affected by the mass influx of Rwandans.